Southwest Airlines says its website will soon handle online booking for unaccompanied minors and the airline will double the one-way service fee to $50.
Previously, when children ages 5 to 11 were flying without an accompanying passenger age 12 or older, the paperwork had to be completed at the airport, and the service fee — on top of the fare, of course — was $25 each way.
Southwest garners a lot of publicity for its “bags fly free policy,” but it has been upping fees for a variety of ancillary services, including unaccompanied minors, over the past year.
The airline charged no fee for unaccompanied minors until last year, when it began charging $25.
In increasing the fee for unaccompanied minors to $50 each way for tickets booked April 23 and later, Southwest says its fee for unaccompanied minors still will be among the lowest in the industry. The airline still will have to absorb some of the cost associated with handling young kids flying without adults, the carrier adds.
American Airlines charges an unaccompanied minor fee of $100 each way, and it can’t be booked on AA.com.
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Southwest is now charging $50 each way for unaccompanied minors and all of the paperwork is now filled in online during purchase? I don’t get it. I thought the original charge was for paperwork, which is now filled in by the parents online. Are you charging extra for wheelchairs or elderly people that need assistance? I thought $25 each way was terrible! NOW $50! I can almost fly with them for the same price? LOW BLOW SOUTHWEST.
When I took my son to the airport for his monthly flight to see his father I was shocked to have to pay $50 instead of $25 for our nine year old to fly unaccompanied. When the ticket agent saw my surprise she informed me that Southwest flies “a lot” of kids. I couldn’t believe it. Since Southwest is making money from faring children between parents they decided to almost increase their fare 50%. This $50 comes out of my son’s $600 a month child support. Yes, the math is easy. Southwest is taking a full month a year from my child’s support. Thank you Southwest for making the Skies not so friendly. Happy 39th, “The Southwest Difference” is not lost on me.
About 6 months ago we let our 7 year old travel for the 2nd time alone on south west. The first 2 times things were fine. Then the next time they started charging $25 for him to be unaccompanied. Well seemed reasonable at the time of purchase. I thought that they were going to be watched closer and be well taken care of. When i picked him up he had urinated in his pants and told us they wouldn’t allow him to use the bathroom. He said that he repeatedly asked to use the restroom and no one would take him. I was furious my son is seven years old he can hold it for a while and hasn’t urinated himself since he was 4. This was absurd. I was angry. Don’t use Southwest airlines if you want your children well taken care of or at least dry when they are picked up. Oh and by the way no one informed me about his accident or apologize to me.
Poor kid! My 7 year old would have been mortified if that happened to him. I can’t believe neighboring passengers didn’t speak up to help him. Hopefully you notified the corporate headquarters and told them what happened.
Southwest is only charging more for children because they can get away with it. If they charged more for those in need of assistance as Joe above mentioned the AARP would be going on television raising heck.
One time while I was attempting to get my son checked in the ticket agent helped fifteen people, who were in line behind us, first. She left me standing in front of her while she continued to assist everyone else. I had already completed the paperwork and handed it to her when it was our turn. She set the paper down and checked everyone else and their “free” bags in (literally) around us. And for that privilege I got to hand over 50 extra dollars.
Psh, I wish American Airlines were only charging $50 each way!
They charge $100 each way!
$100 is a lot of money. Is that for one-way or round trip?
Often the children who fly unaccompanied with Southwest are frequent flyers who are visiting their non-custodial parent. Adding the extra $50 each way puts $1200 to $2400 into Southwest’s revenue a year (per child) without occupping a seat or adding any weight to a plane.
This $1200 to $2400 is pure profit. And exactly what the fee is all about.
Let’s say Southwest flys only 1000 unaccompanied minors a year once a month between parents, in a year that adds up to 1.2 million dollars. Over a million dollars taken in without using a seat or costing a penny in fuel.
This way to make money would be brillant if it wasn’t so cold blooded.
I have used Southwest Airlines for my son’s travel ever since he was old enough to fly unaccompanied. I have never had a bad experience with his flight and feel like $50 each way is reasonable since other airlines are charging twice that amount for each way. Being able to go online and start the booking process has saved us time at the ticket window and we have never had bad service.